The question I have been asked most frequently this week is why do some MPs use their allowances to fund their trips to weddings and sporting events. I obviously can’t answer that question.

I do think that the best way to stop these abuses is for the rules to be tightened and to require information on how MPs spend their money made publicly available in a timely fashion. In this era of electronic records there is no justification for delays and secrecy.

The Greens believe that Private First Class Bradley Manning's trial and sentence sets very dangerous precedents for whistleblowers, journalists, publishers and democracy itself.

"After more than three years in prison, initially in an animal cage and sometimes stripped naked, Bradley Manning has been sentenced for 35 years (with 1294 days credit) for telling the truth about dirty wars," said Senator Scott Ludlam, Australian Greens Communications spokesperson.

Labor and the Coalition voted against Greens amendments to open up parliamentary departments to scrutiny. They even voted against a very mild amendment, supported by the departments that would have limited the release of information to matters of an administrative nature. This is the Hansard of the debate.

The Australian Greens will introduce a Bill next week to strengthen regulation of data collection on Australians, returning normal warrant procedures to law enforcement agencies accessing peoples' private data.

"This is the first step to winding back the kind of surveillance overreach revealed by the PRISM whistleblower," Greens communications spokesperson Senator Scott Ludlam said.